


The Shield

by Skyepilot



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Bobbi spying, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Shipscuses, Skye's Superpowers, Superpowers, Training, Undercover, i don't know what this is really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-18
Updated: 2014-12-18
Packaged: 2018-03-01 18:34:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2783561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyepilot/pseuds/Skyepilot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU/Speculation drabble fic.  Skye and Coulson are always connected, Bobbi's spying forces them closer.  Post 02x10.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Shield

"My new S.O.," she asked, looking around briefly. "Where?"

They were standing in the Playground's gym. It was late and it was empty. Except for the two of them.

Skye was still waiting for the punchline.

Coulson started taking off his jacket as Skye smirked and turned away, trying not to laugh.

"Seriously?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"You thought I was going to call in Black Widow?" he asked, turning back to her with a sharp look.

"No," Skye said, suddenly self-conscious, "Someone from the Fridge, used to dealing with...the freak squad."

"I'm not too eager to let outsiders know one of my agents might have been responsible for the earthquake in San Juan."

Shot fired across the bow. "Thank you for that helpful reminder," she said sarcastically.

After hanging up his jacket, he rolled up the sleeves on his dress shirt and slipped off his shoes.

"We're going to have to be very honest with each other," he said. "You don't want May as your S.O.? Alright. But, I'm the only one who knows your secret."

"I don't want to hurt you," she said, rubbing her hand against her other arm.

"I'm not afraid of what you can do," he said, walking back towards her. "I've seen worse."

"It's just going to make me hold back," she said, raising her chin at him.

"You'll try," he said, stopping in front of her. "You forget. I've been an S.O. before."

"Amador," she said, remembering. "I didn't forget."

"Do you trust me?" he asked her, looking at her doubtful eyes.

"What kind of question is that?" she asked him.  Irritation was finally setting into her expression.

"That when I push you, I'll know how far," he said. "Trust that I know your limits."

"Yes," she answered.

He could sense the hesitation there, something in back of it. If they just began, maybe it would resolve itself? That wasn't good enough, though. Not with her. He wanted them to start off on the right footing.

"What are you anticipating?" he asked.

She looked away from such a direct question. "I'm not sure how far _I_ can push _you_."

"I trust you," he answered.

"I know," she said, staring back at him. "That's not what I'm talking about."

This was just as much about that as it was about anything. Where this had left them. What they had become to one another.

"It would've changed eventually, Skye," he said, searching her face.

"But, we didn't get to choose this," she said.

"No," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "We didn't."

***

"Dammit!"

She slammed her hands up against the locker and then sat down in frustration on the bench.

" _Skye_?"

Her head shot up to see Bobbi standing in the doorway. She took a deep breath and composed herself, standing up again to start...

What was she going to do again?

Why was Bobbi here? This wasn't even a part of the base they used on the regular.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Bobbi replied, crossing her arms.

"Clearly, I'm having _a moment_ ," Skye said, shrugging at her.

"Y'know, Coulson left the gym in a mood, too," she replied, with a thin smile. "Your faces match."

"We had a disagreement," Skye said, tearing away the bandages on her hands, to give herself something to do. Why was Bobbi in here?

"He seems like he's been on edge lately," she noted. "Not exactly sure why."

"Things in San Juan didn't go _exactly_ as planned," Skye snapped back.

"Hey, sorry, not trying to make it worse. I know you mean a lot to each other."

"Really?" Skye asked, crossing her arms.

"Chasing you down into the temple wasn't exactly part of the plan. More like we were supposed to keep you out of it."

"Well, Raina made sure that didn't happen," Skye answered. "It's kind of late. Are you and Hunter getting in another 'workout'?"

Bobbi laughed a little. Skye wasn't sure what to make of it.

" _Busted_ ," she said, shrugging. "Mack was working late in the hangar, so, our usual spot was taken."

"Thanks for the warning," Skye said, raising her eyebrows.

"Not easy falling in love in this line of work," Bobbi said.  "Gotta get it when you can."

"Guess go," Skye said.

***

"I don't trust her," she said to Coulson in his office the next morning.

He made a face and walked over to the record player, switched the raucous jazz music off.

"I thought you were supposed to work on relaxing?" he asked, sipping his cup of coffee.

"That _was_ helping me relax," she said, her hands stilling on the keyboard as she turned to him.

"It's too early for that," he said with a pained express and pulled over a chair next to her. "Now, who don't you trust?"

"Bobbi," Skye said, lowering her voice.

He peered at her carefully. "What do you think she was after?"

Skye's eyes widened and him and she pulled back a little. "You don't trust her, either, do you?"

"No," he said, putting his coffee cup down. "But, I'm not ready to give that away just yet."

She sighed a little, looking down at her own coffee cup, tilting it towards her to see the last dregs of her morning brew there.

"You're getting harder to pin down these days," she said.

Coulson took the near empty cup and poured some of the coffee from his own into it, and pushed the mug back towards her.

"You still trust me?" he asked, meeting her warming smile.

"Of course," she said, lifting it and taking a sip. "Just don't like all the secrets."

"We're spies, Skye."

"Between us," she clarified at his obvious reply, her eyes flickering up at him.

"I see," he said, sitting back in his chair, considering her.

"Bobbi was trying to figure out why we were both at the gym so late," she began.

"And did she?"

"No, but she was putting out some definite feelers," she said. "She saw you leave with your undies in a bundle."

"I wonder who put me in that state?" he asked, facetiously, looking up at the ceiling.

She wasn't loving the accusation, but she took it in stride. "Look, the fact that we're _adjusting_ to this situation," she said, choosing her words carefully, "Makes it a bit obvious something is off."

"Emotions are high, you went through a lot in San Juan, Skye," he said.

"Yes, and I'm also a SHIELD agent and you rely on me. That's no secret."

"Did she give you anything useful?" he asked, getting right to the point.

"What do you mean?" 

He started to twist the coffee cup between his fingers, staring down at them. "Anything we could use, to throw her off the scent."

His eyes gazed up at her as his fingers stopped their dance.

"She may think we're fooling around," Skye answered after a moment, meeting his stare.

" _Really?_ "

***

"Working undercover against our own team is stupid," she said, sliding down under him, then flipping him over onto the mat.

"Not ideal, I agree," he answered in a huff, as he caught his breath, turning when she tried to bring her foot down against his chest, he grabbed her leg. "But she only has to see it once," he said as he swiveled his hip, brought a leg against her chest, sending her backwards.

"Then what?" she said, managing to keep on her feet as rolled and got back to his.

"Then I call her into my office," he said, as she came towards his left, he sidestepped, grabbed her from behind. "Ask for a favor."

He grunted and then let go when she brought an elbow against his middle.

"Look the other way?" she said, bending down to the mat and bringing her leg around to pull him to the floor with her, then she rolled on top of him, pinning his arms with hers.

"Don't mind the Director in a compromising position?" she said, breathing heavily on top of him, trying not to laugh.

Coulson stared up at her, a smirk starting to play across his face. "It wouldn't be the first time someone suggested it."

"You mean Fury," she said, letting his hands free and swinging her leg over him until she was sitting next to him on the mat.

"Yeah," he said. "People talk."

"I think people started talking when you came into the temple after me." 

He frowned at her, and then leaned to push himself onto his knees and to his feet, offering her a hand up.

When she took it, he yanked her up, and then grabbed her elbows, wrapping his arms around her. He leaned in to her ear.

"Just keep talking," he said, nudging her neck with his face.

She stiffened for just a moment and then relaxed in his hands. "You shouldn't have come after me."

"Why is that?" he asked, pulling back for a moment.

"It made things...complicated," she said, touching the drip of sweat pooling at his neck with the tip of her finger.

" _How_ complicated?" he asked. "We've been spending a lot of time together. You did a lot for me. I _owe_ you a lot. It's easy to get confused."

"Is it?" she asked, searching his eyes. Her hand touched the side of his face, and he swallowed.

She saw someone watching them from the far side of the room out of the corner of her eye.

Leaning forward she kissed him very softly on the mouth.

Almost a nothing of a thing.

***

" _Someone_ wants to know what happened to us in the city," Coulson said, as they walked through the hallways of the Playground side by side.

"Who would that interest?" Skye asked. "HYDRA?"

"Definitely," he said, stopping with her at the lab and going quiet as one of the techs handed him a report.  "But there are other possibilities," he said, after taking it, and walking again back towards his office.

When they were inside, he tossed the file on the table and pulled a thumb drive out of his pocket.

"Where did that come from?" she asked, as they walked over to his desk.

He pressed the top of the desk set and the black box emerged.  Tapping a button on the display, she heard the locks to his office turn automatically.

"Simmons," he said, touching the stick to the side of the black box.

She watched the files starting to upload, the file was code named "Quake."

"I thought we agreed," she began.

"I trust Simmons," he said, turning to her.  "We needed to know what happened to you in the temple."

"You could've clued me in on it," she said, crossing her arms at him.

"I just did.  Simmons thinks I'm keeping it a secret from you," he said, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.  "It's safer that way."

They both looked at the before and after of her blood on the display.

"Some kind of mutation," he said, turning the three dimensional image of her DNA over with his hands. "Unlocked a whole series of information in your genetic code that wasn't there before."

"Evolution," Skye said.  "That's what Raina was after."

"I don't think Simmons has the capability to determine how it is you generate seismic energy," he said.  "It's a mystery."

"Don't look so damn excited, Coulson.  It's just my life."

"Maybe you can stop earthquakes," he said.  "Before they kill thousands?  Or you can alleviate stress points so they're never triggered to begin with?"

"I mix a martini with a finger.  Whole new career ahead of me," she said bitterly.  "What? It won't do us any good if I can't control it."

"You're learning," he said. "It'll just take time.  Superheroes aren't born overnight."

He slid the file away and tapped the black box again and it all disappeared.

"Don't call me that," she said. "And anyway, what about your blood?" she asked.  "After the GH-325.  Have you ever asked her to look for the same markers in yours that are in mine?"

"No," he said, frowning a little.  "I haven't carved in months." He watched her face carefully. "Why are you asking this?"

"Have you ever wondered why I'm able to control my powers so easily when I'm around you?"

"I just thought that was..." He looked a little bashful suddenly.

"You should ask," she said, with a deadpan stare.

***

 "If you _ever_ do that again, Coulson."

" _Skye._ "

"You're the Director here," she said, frustration building.  "Not me!  It all doesn't fall apart if I go down."

"You're wrong," he said, sitting down on the table in the medlab as she yanked open the drawer, hard, and pulled out the bandages and liquid stitches.

"I did what you said," he continued, following her movements, as she took out the scissors and started to cut open his shirt. "Talked to Simmons."

"What?  Why are you talking about this now?" she asked, tearing the fabric open with a rip.

"The GH-325, it did something to me. Not like you, but.   _Something_ ," he said, excitement in his voice.

"Your new power is being... _reckless_?" she asked, placing the scissors down on the metal surface, as she leaned against it with one arm, staring back at him. "Did you think this was the best time to test that theory?" she muttered, resuming her work.

The disinfectant caused him to wince when she sprayed it on his ribcage, running her fingers over the spot. "Doesn't look too deep."

"It's because I absorbed its energy before impact," he said. "Like I do when I'm with you."

Her eyes shot up to meet his. "Are you sure you didn't just luck out?" she asked.

"No," he said, shaking his head.  "I'd never tried it with projectiles, but, it's happened before. When Garrett attacked me last year at Cybertek."

"What happened?" she asked.

"He landed a punch and it sent me flying about 15 feet and I hit the ground, hard, and got right back up."

"Have you had similar incidents?" 

"Mack, when the temple took him over.  Your father," he added, a moment later. 

"That should've killed you," she realized, her hand touching his knee briefly.

 ***

"Try directing it _at_ me," he said, motioning to her.

"This is supposed to be about me controlling my powers," she said. "Not cutting loose."

"It will work," he said. " _If,_ it works the way I think it works.  It will work. " He held his hands up to convince her. "It's perfect."

"Fine," she said, stepping towards him and stretching her arms out, she gripped his forearms and concentrated.

For a moment, she saw him shake, his face contorting, and she tried to pull away from him.

"No!" he said, his hands reaching for her. "More, I can take it."

Reluctant at first, then, leaning into him she pushed herself further, seeing him clench his jaw and then finally, taking a deep breath as his eyes went wide and he was smiling, his breaths coming more shortly.

"Are you...getting _excited_ by this?" she asked him. 

Coulson turned a darker shade, then let go of her arms, twisting away, trying to catch his breath.

"No," he said, over his shoulder, sounding defensive.  " _A little?_ "

Skye started laughing at him, and he began to relax, smiling over at her.

She grabbed him by the front of his t-shirt, pulling him down towards her mouth, kissing him roughly.

"Dammit, Skye," he said, when she let him go.  He stared at her, chest heaving.

The look in her eyes caught him off guard.  The way all of that power had flowed right into him. The release she must of felt.

"Kiss me," he said to her.

She kissed him slowly this time, running her hands over his chest, feeling his heartbeat under her palm and in her mouth, one hand traveling up to touch his face as a series of emotions played out there.

Guilt. Desire. Need.

"It's perfect," she told him. "Like you said."

***

"Let's talk," he said, arms, crossed as he leaned back against his desk.

"About what?" Bobbi asked, sitting in the chair next to him.

"I'm all for transparency, for sharing information.  But, I have my limits," he said, pulling up a screen on the monitor.  It was Tony Stark's security network blanketing the globe.

"I've got a long history with Stark," he said "And if there's one thing I know about Tony Stark?  Always in over his head."

"Why would I be working for Stark?" Bobbi asked, cutting to the chase.

"You're not," he said.  "You're working for Maria Hill, maybe.  And she's watching Stark.  But, this information you're after. My relationship with Skye? That's mine to keep.  What happened to Skye in the temple? That's for her to share. If she wants to. You're welcome to try her."

"So," Bobbi said, tilting her head. "What is this about again?"

"Choosing a side," he said.

"Complicated thing," she said.  "When you spent most of your time with HYDRA knowing they were SHIELD."

"That _is_ hard," he said. "So, trust issues.  Fair enough."

"And you're an alien," she said flatly.

"Kind of.   _Sort of_.  Not really?" he shrugged.  "I'm not controlled by any alien forces, if that's the concern here."

"And...what exactly _is_ Skye?" she went on.

"Skye is going to be the Director of SHIELD someday," he said.  "Your people might want to get comfortable with that idea."

"They say fortune favors the bold," Bobbi replied.

"Fortune should really learn to mind its own business."

***

"I just don't know what to make of you these days."

"You're right," he said. "This is probably a bit shocking."

He had her up against the column in the lab, just out of the view of the entrance.

"There I was," she said. "Just on my way to drop some files off with Simmons. An innocent nod to my S.O. in the hallway and seconds later..." 

"Neither," he said, leaning into kiss her neck.  "We have a 10 minute window between shifts."

"A warm up for later, then?" she asked with a smile.  "You don't do anything too quick, if you can help it."

"Can I, though?"

"Remember how this was supposed to be a ploy to throw Bobbi off the scent?"

"Yes," he said, eyes on the buttons on her dress shirt, as his fingers went to work on one of them. "Remember when you attacked me with your mouth during a training session?"

"Remember when you invited me to your room for a 'nitecap'?  Like, who even says that anymore?"

"Remember when you came?" he said, smirking a little, as he kissed her neck again, and slipped his hand into her shirt.

She pulled his face up to hers and kissed him deeply as his fingers slipped underneath the wire of her bra.

"You little shit," she said, smiling against his mouth, as she tugged at his tie. "Yes, I remember."

" _Tell me_."


End file.
